I am contemplating this model for my next purchase. What is the consensus on this model? Are there any known quality issues? I would love to hear from the owners and from the aspiring buyers like myself.

I owned this watch prior to purchasing a master ultra thin perpetual calendar. It was a fantastic watch; I loved it. It has a wonderful classic triple-date dial layout. The moon phase indicator is prominent, and the gold circle for the moon really stands out. The red date indicator adds contrast for just a bit of visual interest. And the JLC silver sunburst dial is striking upon close inspection (if you haven't seen this, or a similarly-dialed watch, in person).

For me, the only aesthetic downside (recognizing that taste is highly subjective) is the side of the case, which (though not especially thick) is flat along the z-axis and uniformly polished, which made the watch look thicker than it actually is, and lacked the appeal of the ultra-thin line's contoured case. The bezel is also relatively wide (compared to other, more recently-designed models), though again this is subject to idiosyncratic tastes.

Over the several years I owned my watch, I experienced no mechanical problems or other quality issues at all. Nor am I aware of any problems that have been mentioned here. I wore mine almost daily, and it was consistently accurate, about +2-3 sec/day.

caliber 866 should not give you any problems. it is tested in the predecessor version - cal. 924, and its predecessor - cal. 891 :) classic and timeless design. owned silver master date & black master moon from jlc some time back - no issues in a few years I owned these pieces.